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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: cassgazz on October 13, 2014, 07:40:48 PM
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Wasn't sure to put this in the electrical thread or not. I did a search on here, and came back with absolutely nothing. Also searched google, and could not find anything recent.
We were approached by salesmen from Green Light Solar (based in Carrum Downs, Victoria) going around our area doing bulk installations of home solar systems. They have offered us a 4.5kW system, for $9,990 all fully switched on, 0% interest over 40 months. ($56 a week)
The panels they are using are SIMAX brand, 250W panels, with a module efficiency of up to 16%, and cell efficiency of up to 18.8%.
I had not heard of either company before, SIMAX or Green Light Solar. SIMAX is marketed as German panels, however it was explained to me that they are actually made in China. Has anyone had these systems installed, and if so, what are your opinions / thoughts.
Any other opinions and thoughts would be appreciated aswell.
Thanks,
Gary.
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I had a look at solar electricity a year ago, worked out that it just wasn't worth it under the current regime. >:( Pretty easy maths
you pay $9990 for the unit
you pay about 26/27c per kwh take out tarrif
you get paid about 8c per kwh generated input tariff
In my house under current conditions roi was nearly 20 years :o
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Gary,
You may get a few replies on Myswag from those in the know. We have a 4kw installed a few years ago and the best place for research would be here:
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/143?g=371 (http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/143?g=371)
Scroll to the bottom and search for Simax
Nothing much there for Green Light Solar particularly (just some old discussions). But this is the best forum to ask and get opinions, or even get info on people that have installed in your area before.
Over 90% of the panels would be made in China. Don't let that worry you though.
Cheers
Wazza.
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At $10k for 4.5kw, you're being ripped blind... One of my mates can do 10kw for around the $10k...
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
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I would recommend to stay with the known names and brands.
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SIMAX is marketed as German panels, however it was explained to me that they are actually made in China.
How does that work ???
Is it as honest as 'Australian Made' ???
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Mate you can do a lot better than that deal.
Here's an eg:
http://www.energymatters.com.au/specials/victoria-solar-power-special/ (http://www.energymatters.com.au/specials/victoria-solar-power-special/)
Go with a reputable company, all that mobs done is add the interest to the purchase price not to mention there selling mystery pie.
Up that way you've got Andrew from gippsland solar or try Dave from Coldflow these guys have been around for years.
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l have 20 panels on the roof which is 4.5 Kw . l am exporting to the grid most of the day which puts me in credit all the time so havnt had to pay a power bill since it got turned on .
SWOMBO just walked & asked " Whats you doing " told her She saids "Just do it "
THE COST OF POWER IS GOING UP ALL THE TIME SO FREZE IT NOW PM if you want more details :cheers:
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Very happy with our 5.72kW system. It generated 36kW yesterday.
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I had a look at solar electricity a year ago, worked out that it just wasn't worth it under the current regime. >:( Pretty easy maths
you pay $9990 for the unit
you pay about 26/27c per kwh take out tarrif
you get paid about 8c per kwh generated input tariff
In my house under current conditions roi was nearly 20 years :o
this above is what you need to consider if you haven't already done so...how much you get paid for your power you produce to see if it's viable. No point going on people saying they are always in credit if they are getting paid 5 X more as a feed in rate to what is currently on offer
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l have 20 panels on the roof which is 4.5 Kw . l am exporting to the grid most of the day which puts me in credit all the time so havnt had to pay a power bill since it got turned on .
SWOMBO just walked & asked " Whats you doing " told her She saids "Just do it "
THE COST OF POWER IS GOING UP ALL THE TIME SO FREZE IT NOW PM if you want more details :cheers:
i am assuming that you have a decent feed-in tariff?
until storage is cheaper, there's not much point to getting solar ATM...
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this above is what you need to consider if you haven't already done so...how much you get paid for your power you produce to see if it's viable. No point going on people saying they are always in credit if they are getting paid 5 X more as a feed in rate to what is currently on offer
This is what has put me off doing it.. :(
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Thanks for all of the replies. I had solar coming out of my ears last night with all the research. My first thoughts were that they were quite expensive.
I thought that the way the feed in tariffs worked, was that you only got it, if you produce more power than what was used. Due to being all electric in our house, we use around 3900kWh per quarter. As the maximum sized system we can use is 4.5kW - due to SP Ausnet regulations, I don't think we'd ever get feed in tariffs.
How does that work ???
Is it as honest as 'Australian Made' ???
The way it was explained to me, the panels are German engineered, but made in China.
Mate you can do a lot better than that deal.
Here's an eg:
http://www.energymatters.com.au/specials/victoria-solar-power-special/ (http://www.energymatters.com.au/specials/victoria-solar-power-special/)
Go with a reputable company, all that mobs done is add the interest to the purchase price not to mention there selling mystery pie.
Up that way you've got Andrew from gippsland solar or try Dave from Coldflow these guys have been around for years.
Thanks. I emailed Energy Matters for a quote. Just need to get some photos of the meter box & roof tomorrow. It seems as though they use Gippsland Solar, which is who we have also looked at previously - they just didn't do finance.
Even though we have decided not to go through Green Light Solar, due to the price, but mainly on principle - due the rubbish they were telling us, we are still strongly considering getting solar installed.
Will update with results once / if it goes ahead.
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Sorry mate, you're being ripped big time.
I do a 10KW system in Sydney fully installed, all metering, everything included with really good quality gear for $7,000.
Tell them to keep walking.........
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Sorry mate, you're being ripped big time.
I do a 10KW system in Sydney fully installed, all metering, everything included with really good quality gear for $7,000.
Tell them to keep walking.........
out of curiosity....what brand inverter and panels do you use?
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You will get the feed in tariff but it's probably only 8c per KWh, the idea is to use the power your producing and when it produced rather than export it back to the grid (which was all the go at 25c or higher) then buying it back cheaper at night. So you really need to use your peak power during the day, something not everyone can do and something you have to consider.
Don't discount Dave at Coldflow, I've got a few others here I was going threw that have pretty good gear at reasonable prices if it helps.
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Sorry mate, you're being ripped big time.
I do a 10KW system in Sydney fully installed, all metering, everything included with really good quality gear for $7,000.
Tell them to keep walking.........
Geez. I knew they were overpriced, but didn't realise how much. The best price I was able to find online was approx. $6.5k.
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You will get the feed in tariff but it's probably only 8c per KWh, the idea is to use the power your producing and when it produced rather than export it back to the grid (which was all the go at 25c or higher) then buying it back cheaper at night. So you really need to use your peak power during the day, something not everyone can do and something you have to consider.
Don't discount Dave at Coldflow, I've got a few others here I was going threw that have pretty good gear at reasonable prices if it helps.
Thanks. Have just sent him an email. Happy for you to send through a few more. PM me if you like.
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My BIL Is a solar company rep. He worked out a price for me of around $6k for a 5KW system good panels and inverter installed and still told me to keep my money its not worth it
Swannie
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out of curiosity....what brand inverter and panels do you use?
+1 ??
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I am not doing it for the money. i want to do my little bit for the environment.
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A mate of mine who is an engineer in the alternate energy field told me a while ago that the energy required to produce a solar panel means that it takes at least 10 years just to break even in regards to energy produced. If you can follow what I mean...
Can anyone with some knowledge in this area confirm or deny this?
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In Victoria out of a 3kWh system you'll only get around 5kWh a day in winter (if your lucky)
can get as low as .8Wh and the best you'll do in summer is around 20kWh at least that's
what my system puts out.
Those that live in Melbourne that say they haven't had an electric bill with a similar size system
since it was put in don't have electric off peak hot water or are doing something different.
If it's a new system you'll only get around 8 cents feed in, the system will only be of real benefit
if your home all day and use power and then the system will need to be as big enough as possible
to meet your usage. I think from memory most installers won't go bigger than 5kWh if you have single
phase as the electric companies won't let them.
Look at your power needs, if you use most of the power in the mornings and after noons them it might
be worth splitting the arrays and orienting for maximum efficiency at those times.
In Melbourne a new install might not be worth it, I still pay around $600 a year but as I stated do have
an off peak hot water system that's for three permanent residents, and one blow in.
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I have an 8.3 kw system (2x4) that cost $12700 to install. During summer I get an average of 47.5 kw during winter i get an average of 12.8 kw. My summer bill went from $1246 to $2.65 my winter bill from $726 to $302 but autumn was $943 to credit $36. I believe it was a good investment. I guess it will work for some but not for others.
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I have an 8.3 kw system (2x4) that cost $12700 to install. During summer I get an average of 47.5 kw during winter i get an average of 12.8 kw. My summer bill went from $1246 to $2.65 my winter bill from $726 to $302 but autumn was $943 to credit $36. I believe it was a good investment. I guess it will work for some but not for others.
I got the 44c feed in tariff while it was on offer in Adelaide about 5 years ago. It's supposedly good for 18 years. Never looked back since. Frees up lots of cash at the end of each month that's for sure.
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I didn't get that deal i only get 23.6c feed in tarrif. Mum n Dad got the bigger tarrif but also the bigger install price.
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I didn't get that deal i only get 23.6c feed in tarrif. Mum n Dad got the bigger tarrif but also the bigger install price.
Yep $10K for 3.2KW. But it has nearly already paid for itself in savings. We get a credit during summer, and pay bugger all in winter.
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A mate of mine who is an engineer in the alternate energy field told me a while ago that the energy required to produce a solar panel means that it takes at least 10 years just to break even in regards to energy produced. If you can follow what I mean...
Can anyone with some knowledge in this area confirm or deny this?
This is a common urban myth. Lots of comprehensive studies available which conclude 1 to 3 years to cover the manufacturing, transport and installation energy. The panel will then be net positive for the next 20+ year life. Here's an example:
http://sunlightsolar.com/img/PV-Embodied-Energy_Home-Power-mag.pdf
Perhaps you friend was referring to financial payback? This could be 10 years under some circumstances.
I had to answer this question about wind and solar energy regularly in a previous job so did some research to check the logic.
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out of curiosity....what brand inverter and panels do you use?
Trina panels (or German solar (still chinese) if you're on a budget) and SMA inverters.
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I tell every customer, that if it can't pay for itself in 3 to 4 years its not worth it.
With the current feed in tariff a solar setup is not worth it unless you are using the power being generated.
Ie at home during the day or have a pool or heavy power demand.
I recently had a customer complain that he only got $8 back from his 2.5 KW system over the last 3 months.
When I went to see him and read all his meters etc, he had used 1006 KW of what he had generated and sold 101 kw.
This means he had only "wasted" 101 kilowatts and was using his system very efficiently.
When I explained that he had saved around $290 by not buying it he was happy.
Businesses are the ones who will benefit most under the current system.
They can use it during the day when they need it.
Like anything electrical - its a dark art!!!! >:D
Brian
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Trina panels (or German solar (still chinese) if you're on a budget) and SMA inverters.
cheers for the info, was just curious as I said earlier. I've already got solar on my place, was just wondering what people in he game are fitting these days was all.
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I was also led to believe that there is a limit to the amount of feed in 'refund' that a consumer can get. I thought I read on a quite that I had got it was around a max of 20kw a day which equated to $1-60. Was going to be a loooong time before it would pay for itself & then would be close to useby date
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The game changer for residential solar will be when the price of batteries drops. For those in Melbourne, drop by Jeff's Shed on Thursday 16 October (tomorrow) and go to the All-Energy conference/exhibition. Free to attend (exhibitors and sponsors pay enough to make it free) and you'll see hundreds of renewable energy systems. Lots of smart inverters with batteries attached that allow you to direct the electrons from a solar array and the grid to and from the batteries to minimise cost. Interesting times ahead.
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This is a common urban myth. Lots of comprehensive studies available which conclude 1 to 3 years to cover the manufacturing, transport and installation energy. The panel will then be net positive for the next 20+ year life. Here's an example:
http://sunlightsolar.com/img/PV-Embodied-Energy_Home-Power-mag.pdf (http://sunlightsolar.com/img/PV-Embodied-Energy_Home-Power-mag.pdf)
Thanks for posting that link - some interesting reading and certainly sheds light on the issue (bad pun)! Maybe he did mean cost recovery.
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When calculating pay back time you have to take in consideration that you have saved yourself buying electricity by using what you have generated.
Then it will be a different story.
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Everybody seems to forget that bit only to concentrate on the rebate . l looked back over 12 months to betermin the payout then used that as a base to work from :cheers:
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There you go, the first bill where we don't have to pay anything.
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3kw system installed 31/2 yrs ago . We got the 60c PFIT and have not paid a elec or gas bill in that time . This PFIT goes till 2024 my calcs tell me the unit will have paid for it's self in June 2015 . In my case it has been and continues to be one of my better investments :cheers:
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For the past 2 years I’ve had numerous companies canvasing my neighbourhood trying to sell me solar, but I’ve always said no as we only get a 8 cent rebate.
But now the Wife only works 2 days per week and home more during the day I’m starting to consider about adding solar. This isn’t to make money as I know that won’t happen, but rather use the energy ourselves which the panels produce. If we did get panels it would means that the washing machine, dishwasher, vacuuming etc would be used during daylight hours. Also the pool pump would he changed to run during the day and hopefully the solar might help reduce the costs of running the A/C during those hot QLD days over summer.
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For the past 2 years I’ve had numerous companies canvasing my neighbourhood trying to sell me solar, but I’ve always said no as we only get a 8 cent rebate.
But now the Wife only works 2 days per week and home more during the day I’m starting to consider about adding solar. This isn’t to make money as I know that won’t happen, but rather use the energy ourselves which the panels produce. If we did get panels it would means that the washing machine, dishwasher, vacuuming etc would be used during daylight hours. Also the pool pump would he changed to run during the day and hopefully the solar might help reduce the costs of running the A/C during those hot QLD days over summer.
Beachman,
All the usual disclaimers since I sell and install the stuff in $h1tney, but obviously your miles away so this isn't a sales pitch.
Just a professional opinion.
I get a lot of customers worried that there is no government rebate anymore and you only get 8c per KW hour that you put in.
This is true, but is only a snapshot of the big picture.
Most people (Yes this is true - check it if you wish) believe that they get cheaper rates out of peak times and can save money this way.
Check you meters and your network provider. There are VERY few homes that can actually get this and or benefit from it.
Time of use metering is not available to a lot of areas. Also the areas it is available to may not get full benefit if they can't work their usage around the off peak times.
Add to this the fact that with a solar system you don't buy power that you generate for your own use.
A simple 2 KW system can half your bill. You will still always have connection fees etc etc, but you really are getting free energy.
You are not buying power while the sun shines.
I have a lot of satisfied customer who have benefited from a decent system.
Another thing to consider is the whole "chinese" thing. Myswag is full of chinese debates re good, bad etc.
yes there are cheap chinese, but there is also good chinese.
Look deeper and you'll find almost all panels are made in china under license to other countries. Your quality "german" equipment has been produced in china "under german supervision".
Phones, PC's motors and pretty much anything you use these days in made in china. Some good, some bad.
Better to look for a reputable company that won't be bust in 3 years leaving you with no warranty than to buy "non" chinese which is probably made there anyway.
A bit of research will help you with this.
I have used SMA inverters for a long time without hassle. I have had a few warranty claims here and there but nothing worth rating as a negative.
On the other hand, I have installed as many or more "samil - solar river" inverters which are "chinese" and have not had a failure yet.
Now Murphy's law clearly states, everyone I have ever put in will now blow up tomorrow, but to date not one failure.
The only panel problems I have had are with my own panels at home which I spent the extra money on and bought the "good" non chinese ones.
Corrosion and a diode problem.
Lucky I can fix it myself, but not certainly wouldn't rate the "good" panels (which I won't name so I don't upset my distributor.... :-[)
As with most things, you get a gut feeling for the company and its installers. Go with that.
Cheers
Brian
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Hi Brian,
Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post as it’s always good to hear all views of different subjects especially considering Solar is what you do for a living.
Seeing the next time I move out of this house is in a pine box, I might have to investigate Solar more seriously.
Thanks
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Add to this the fact that with a solar system you don't buy power that you generate for your own use.
A simple 2 KW system can half your bill. You will still always have connection fees etc etc, but you really are getting free energy.
You are not buying power while the sun shines.
I have a lot of satisfied customer who have benefited from a decent system.
just to clarify something in my own mind:
this type of 2KW system to 'half' your bill would only be effective if people were home during the day?
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That is running appliances during the day when using the power generated by your solar system.
You don't have to be at home to run a dishwasher or washing machine. Put it on a timer and you are set.
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That is running appliances during the day when using the power generated by your solar system.
You don't have to be at home to run a dishwasher or washing machine. Put it on a timer and you are set.
that what i was also implying (badly, as it turns out)... :)
if no appliances are running during the day, no benefit?
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Depends on what your rebate is.
With the current 7.135 cents then you will still get some, but when you buy power it will cost you 22.3601 cents (in WA, A1 tariff).
You will be better off using what you generate then selling, because that will mean that you don't have to buy power at a higher price.
There is always some benefit, but less.
Previously with the 48 cents rebate, was a different story. But that is gone for new customers.
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Got a letter from Energy Australia informing me they are lifting my PFIT from 60c to 66c ! I'm a happy camper
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My 4.5 K system ripps my bill to bits . l get a 5%discount cause l pay on time before l get the bill , as lm always in credit :cup: :cheers:
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I still love our solar system.
Another "NOT REQUIRED" in payable by... :-)
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We love our 4.56 system... Currently $1200 in credit :-)
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We love our 4.56 system... Currently $1200 in credit :-)
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Are they going to pay you?
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My 3KW system has me currently about 1800 in credit :cup:
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Are they going to pay you?
We leave it in the account to offset our winter bills...
Average yearly gas and power has been about $1500 since we installed our system in 2009, and it's now fully paid for itself
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anyone got a good contact in Melbourne to come out and quote ??
Neighbour had some shonk come out and quoted him really cheap - but he worked out that the system was 1/5th the spec of the other quotes he had!!!! thus why ti was cheap and would never have worked.. he hasn't done anything yet but that was 18mths ago..
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There's a mob in Brisbane that have set up thier own solar panel production to go with thier installed system media advertising and call centre (40 people in one room).
The name rhymes with Yoorosola. (no affilliation etc) and should be familiar with TV watching cricket lovers lately.
The factory was opened with attendance of a bunch of local and State pollies last year.
I don't know what the quality is like, but it seems more like to be used for advertising purposes so it can be said "we manufacture our own Australian panels" which is true, but what is not stated is that according to inside information they can only build around 30 panels a day. This is due to be increased, but with the number of containers coming and going, 100% production could take a while.
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I went through Energy Matters and they contacted a local to come out.
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Everybody bangs on about the feed in tariff but that is after you have generated the power to run your house through the day . Summer for cooling , winter to heat . My 4.5 K system covers all my usage including 2hp irrigation pump , transfer pump & all the shed power as well & still it comes out in front . An all electric house with in slab heating was costing about $4 to 5 K to cover & now lm in credit by about $1K . That's over & above what l should have been paying for the whole thing . Do it & watch the change happen :cheers:
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I still love our solar system.
Another "NOT REQUIRED" in payable by... :-)
so what are your usage amounts?
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so what are your usage amounts?
My own calculations over the last months is 7.7 units/day.
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Just for some other side feedback for those considering solar under the newer 6c feed in tariff .
I am on
0.6c FIT
6.0KW system-3Kw facing NE.. 3Kw Facing NW (Spit arrays)
4 PPL in house
Pool Pump 4 hrs per day
wash / dish washer
Me in shed welding and installing.
Our last bill was $89.25
thats over a $550 saving for that quarter alone ..winter sees a higher bill but prob still a $400 saving so for us a $1500+ saving per year .
Solar is still worthwhile imho you just need to speak with the right PPL who understand the game has changed.
Morons still getting around telling PPL to switch everything off all day and sell it all to the grid ??? ??? ??? ??? guy tried it on my dad door to door ... he had no idea had sold 1000,s of systems he said. >:D
Jet ;D
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Just for some other side feedback for those considering solar under the newer 6c feed in tariff .
I am on
0.6c FIT
6.0KW system-3Kw facing NE.. 3Kw Facing NW (Spit arrays)
4 PPL in house
Pool Pump 4 hrs per day
wash / dish washer
Me in shed welding and installing.
Our last bill was $89.25
thats over a $550 saving for that quarter alone ..winter sees a higher bill but prob still a $400 saving so for us a $1500+ saving per year .
Solar is still worthwhile imho you just need to speak with the right PPL who understand the game has changed.
Morons still getting around telling PPL to switch everything off all day and sell it all to the grid ??? ??? ??? ??? guy tried it on my dad door to door ... he had no idea had sold 1000,s of systems he said. >:D
Jet ;D
but what about those of us who use most, if not all of our energy in our house in the afternoon or night?
until battery storage is effective and more cost effective, i can't see how solar works for people like us (also 4 people)
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anyone got a good contact in Melbourne to come out and quote ??
Neighbour had some shonk come out and quoted him really cheap - but he worked out that the system was 1/5th the spec of the other quotes he had!!!! thus why ti was cheap and would never have worked.. he hasn't done anything yet but that was 18mths ago..
just sent you a PM
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but what about those of us who use most, if not all of our energy in our house in the afternoon or night?
until battery storage is effective and more cost effective, i can't see how solar works for people like us (also 4 people)
Very true mate but you could simply cover what the day time usage is even as low as 10 kWh and simply suze a system to cover that only .
10 a day for free saves you $3 per day x365 = $3285 per yer your not paying and a small system will be paid for in 2 years.
Ever KWh you don't buy saves you .30c so get an accurate figure of exactly what your house uses during the day as it must be something and go from there .
But at .30c a unit the best saving is in not buying it not exporting it :D
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Very true mate but you could simply cover what the day time usage is even as low as 10 kWh and simply suze a system to cover that only .
10 a day for free saves you $3 per day x365 = $3285 per yer your not paying and a small system will be paid for in 2 years.
Ever KWh you don't buy saves you .30c so get an accurate figure of exactly what your house uses during the day as it must be something and go from there .
But at .30c a unit the best saving is in not buying it not exporting it :D
as usual, mate, you make perfect sense... :)
so do you guys have special meters that you use to measure usage throughout the day? did you get that info from your electricity supplier?
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as usual, mate, you make perfect sense... :)
so do you guys have special meters that you use to measure usage throughout the day? did you get that info from your electricity supplier?
I track my generation using a website called PVOutput, which requires me to have an old laptop running all the time, that interrogates my inverters via Bluetooth every 5 minutes. My graphs are here: http://pvoutput.org/list.jsp?userid=2324 (http://pvoutput.org/list.jsp?userid=2324)
For consumption, there are a number of options, mostly using current clamps to determine voltage used/fed back - popular ones being the Current Cost http://www.smartnow.com.au/products/envir-energy-monitor/envir-display/, (http://www.smartnow.com.au/products/envir-energy-monitor/envir-display/,) TheOwl http://theowl.com/, (http://theowl.com/,) and WattsClever http://wattsclever.net.au/ (http://wattsclever.net.au/) - these can also be integrated to PVOutput, so you can graph out generation and consumption
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The Fronius invertor we have, has a wifi card.
However when I changed the channels on my router, I can't see all data and the invertor can't get access to the router for some reason.
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I track my generation using a website called PVOutput, which requires me to have an old laptop running all the time, that interrogates my inverters via Bluetooth every 5 minutes. My graphs are here: http://pvoutput.org/list.jsp?userid=2324 (http://pvoutput.org/list.jsp?userid=2324)
For consumption, there are a number of options, mostly using current clamps to determine voltage used/fed back - popular ones being the Current Cost http://www.smartnow.com.au/products/envir-energy-monitor/envir-display/, (http://www.smartnow.com.au/products/envir-energy-monitor/envir-display/,) TheOwl http://theowl.com/, (http://theowl.com/,) and WattsClever http://wattsclever.net.au/ (http://wattsclever.net.au/) - these can also be integrated to PVOutput, so you can graph out generation and consumption
thanks, mate.
so, the current clamps are fitted in the meter box?
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thanks, mate.
so, the current clamps are fitted in the meter box?
yeah, you typically clamp a bus bar feed that doesn't have the solar feedback on it if you're trying to capture consumption. The new WattsClever 4500 uses the optical flash on the Smart Meter, but doesn't have the ability to have data extracted from it - bit of a bitch, because the flash counter is the most accurate way of tracking the power consumption... :(
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yeah, you typically clamp a bus bar feed that doesn't have the solar feedback on it if you're trying to capture consumption. The new WattsClever 4500 uses the optical flash on the Smart Meter, but doesn't have the ability to have data extracted from it - bit of a bitch, because the flash counter is the most accurate way of tracking the power consumption... :(
so, if i was looking for a system that could measure consumption and do some basic reporting (daily usage, etc), do you have a recommendation?
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so, if i was looking for a system that could measure consumption and do some basic reporting (daily usage, etc), do you have a recommendation?
before we got our solar, I tracked consumption manually by reading the power meter every day... I did that for a year or so, give or take a few days here and there, and don't really bother any more...
If I was going to put in an automated system, I'd probably look at the Current Cost, as it's fairly expandable, and if you have a supported Smart Meter, you can get the OptiSmart reader, which reads the flash counter.
the software I read the inverter with (and also supports the Current Cost, etc) is called PVBeanCounter which you can read up on at www.pvbeancounter.com (http://www.pvbeancounter.com) ...
pretty simple software to configure and get up and running.
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before we got our solar, I tracked consumption manually by reading the power meter every day... I did that for a year or so, give or take a few days here and there, and don't really bother any more...
If I was going to put in an automated system, I'd probably look at the Current Cost, as it's fairly expandable, and if you have a supported Smart Meter, you can get the OptiSmart reader, which reads the flash counter.
the software I read the inverter with (and also supports the Current Cost, etc) is called PVBeanCounter which you can read up on at www.pvbeancounter.com (http://www.pvbeancounter.com) ...
pretty simple software to configure and get up and running.
thanks for the options, mate... much appreciated... :)
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And another bill of $0 :-)
I like those.
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That just reminded me, I need to contact my retailer.......
We have been receiving credits for the last year and it just keeps accumulating. They never actually gave me any money.
I think they owe me a couple of grand now.
I should chase it up.....
Bet they wouldn't forget about it if I owed them money!!!!
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That just reminded me, I need to contact my retailer.......
We have been receiving credits for the last year and it just keeps accumulating. They never actually gave me any money.
I think they owe me a couple of grand now.
I should chase it up.....
Bet they wouldn't forget about it if I owed them money!!!!
depends which state you're in. There may not be an obligation to pay in cash. You may be able to offset your gas bill if it's the same retailer. The credit may also lapse after 12 months. (I only know about Victorian rules).
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My 3KW system has me currently about 1800 in credit :cup:
I have had a 3.2 kW system for 3 years and am always in credit. Very happy and was installed by a one man show. I opted for SMA inverter as they are one of the best. Panels are Chinese but work well. I do get 60 cents rebate a kW. :cup: